Mia’s Story

Mia has always been community minded and service driven. Having grown up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Mia knew about ADRA. And so, within months of moving to Brisbane with her husband and two children, she reached out to the local ADRA Community Centre in Logan and began to volunteer there.

Life in Brisbane was working out well for Mia and her family. She became baptised, and her younger son was dedicated. Her teenage son got a good job, and Mia was heavily involved with volunteering.

But Mia’s life began to fall apart when her marriage broke down, and Mia and her two sons became homeless. “When I split with my husband he actually made us homeless,” Mia says. With only her teenage son working, Mia felt helpless. Although a friend took them in, Mia knew that arrangement could only last so long.

And so, upon falling on hard times, Mia turned to ADRA for support.

With no relevant qualifications to gain employment, Mia enquired with ADRA and was able to do a Certificate III in Individual Support through the Centre.

“So ADRA had a course called Individual Support, which I did, and I passed,” Mia says. “Now I’ve got a job so I don’t need to lean on people as much.”

With the help that she received from ADRA, Mia and her boys are now renting their own place.

And while Mia has always been active in serving her community, her compassion for the disadvantaged and homeless has increased since experiencing tough times herself. Every Monday evening you will find Mia at an ADRA street food event, serving a hot meal to those in need. Maintaining this commitment was so important to Mia that she arranged her work hours around this event. “We can have 50 to 180 people that we are helping on a Monday because they know this is the place to be,” she says.

Mia is grateful for the help she received when she was struggling and is thrilled by the opportunity to give back to the community. “It’s all come full circle. From having a husband that left to now, having a job because ADRA supported me, and giving the blessings back,” says Mia.

Mia is now passionate about raising awareness about homelessness and about helping as many people as she can.

“It doesn’t take much to help someone that’s homeless or down on their luck,” says Mia. “It doesn’t matter how big or small your donation is, it’s really appreciated by everyone.”

You never know when you may fall on hard times. This October, help Australians overcome hardships by giving today!